Optical and PET/CT probes detect early signs of atherosclerosis

October 20, 2016

Researchers at Stanford University have demonstrated for the first time the use of a dual optical and PET/CT activity-based probe to detect atherosclerotic plaques. The study is published in the October issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Atherosclerosis is largely an asymptomatic disease where plaques develop over decades and symptoms do not appear until greater than 70 percent of a vessel is occluded. This results in significant risk of severe cardiovascular events such as stroke or myocardial infractions, highlighting the need for early, non-invasive diagnosis of the disease.

Matthew Bogyo, PhD, one of the lead authors of the study explains, "This collaborative study with Zhen Cheng, PhD, and Michael McConnell, MD, provides evidence that these probes have potential benefits for non-invasive imaging of atherosclerotic plaque inflammation, potentially leading to the application of this probe in the clinic to help identify patients at high risk of developing premature atherosclerosis."